posted on 2023-09-07, 18:47authored byZheng Yang, Tiantian Xu, Hui Li, Mengyao She, Jiao Chen, Zhaohui Wang, Shengyong Zhang, Jianli Li
Advances in nanotechnology and nanomaterials have attracted
considerable
interest and play key roles in scientific innovations in diverse fields.
In particular, increased attention has been focused on carbon-based
nanomaterials exhibiting diverse extended structures and unique properties.
Among these materials, zero-dimensional structures, including fullerenes,
carbon nano-onions, carbon nanodiamonds, and carbon dots, possess
excellent bioaffinities and superior fluorescence properties that
make these structures suitable for application to environmental and
biological sensing, imaging, and therapeutics. This review provides
a systematic overview of the classification and structural properties,
design principles and preparation methods, and optical properties
and sensing applications of zero-dimensional carbon nanomaterials.
Recent interesting breakthroughs in the sensitive and selective sensing
and imaging of heavy metal pollutants, hazardous substances, and bioactive
molecules as well as applications in information encryption, super-resolution
and photoacoustic imaging, and phototherapy and nanomedicine delivery
are the main focus of this review. Finally, future challenges and
prospects of these materials are highlighted and envisaged. This review
presents a comprehensive basis and directions for designing, developing,
and applying fascinating fluorescent sensors fabricated based on zero-dimensional
carbon nanomaterials for specific requirements in numerous research
fields.